5. MLO 5: Cultural Internalization and Language Immersion
5.1. Students demonstrate that they have actively immersed themselves in authentic Japanese cultural and linguistic environments and have internalized the language and cultural experience, from which they have developed a personal understanding and new perspectives of the community.
Note: Students develop intercultural communication skills and strategies, and learn to adapt and respond in effective ways. This MLO may be fulfilled by a study abroad experience or equivalent. There is no required course for this MLO. Courses taken during study abroad may be counted toward another MLO. Students can also participate in additional service learning experiences to fulfill this requirement.
How I Completed MLO 5:
My experience studying abroad in Japan was one of the best experiences I have had in my life so far. I learned a lot, made a number of friends from allover the world, lived more healthily, and above all greatly improved my Japanese language capabilities. Upon arrival, my goals in Japan were to of course improve my spoken and written Japanese, my Japanese comprehension, and my general communicative abilities. Through talking with Japanese friends, attending club meetings, messaging in Japanese online, and a variety of other communication experiences, my communicative abilities in Japanese have greatly improved. I also looked forward to traveling and taking photos (see Photos and Music page), which I was able to do with the great number of friends who I met in Japan.
Having great interest in nature, hiking, and photography, I was able to take part in a number of excursions, both in urban and rural areas, to explore the Japanese countryside and city environments. I took thousands of pictures along my journeys and posted them on my personal blog. During my time in Japan I also had the privilege to meet a number of musically and artistically talented individuals, a number of who I was granted to opportunity to play with. One of the other goals I had during my time in Japan was to carry on my music production hobby. I successfully composed two pieces of music during my time in Japan (see Photos and Music page).
I had numerous aspirations for my time in Japan but unfortunately there were some that I did not get the chance to achieve. Most of my travels were limited to the Kanto region of Japan, in and around Tokyo. I wanted to explore the Kansai region, including Kyoto, Nara, etc., however, the opportunity never presented itself to me. I also wanted to travel to Yakushima Island; the island is said to be where the animated scenery from the movie Mononoke Hime (Princess Mononoke) was conceptualized form. Yakushima Island also has the some of the oldest, if not the oldest, trees in Japan with the most remarkable being named Jomon Sugi. The tree is in the very middle of the circular island and is supposed to take in excess of eight hours to reach by hiking. This is one excursion which I had to save until the next time I visit Japan.
As for adjusting to the Japanese culture and environment, there were some adjustments which had to be made. From the time I arrived at the Chuo University International Dormitory, I immediately realized it was uncomfortably hot and there were an inordinate number of mosquitoes latching onto my legs. At one point I had been stung so many times on one leg that my foot had swelled to where I could barely fit my shoe on. I soon learned to wear long pants and mosquito repellant; they also sell cooling dab-on ointment which was a life saver for me. The second thing I noticed was that, at least in Tokyo, everyone stands on one side of the escalators to let those in a hurry walk past. This is different to the situation in America where people stand right in the center without a care in the world. Also about the environment, an umbrella is absolutely necessary depending on the season and a warm jacket is also necessary during winter.
There were a number of other subtle adjustments which had to be made for instance, it seems that people speak in softer voice in Japan, especially on public transportation. Subtleties in gesture and body language also had to be taken note of. The intricacies of subtle communication were particularly difficult to observe. The social atmosphere in Japan is something which I was not used to. It is hard to think of specific examples however, it shall be noted that the "air" in Japan with regards to social acceptability in communication, can be thick, ambiguous, and hard to "read".
Existing in the Japanese environment, both social and physical, was a learning experience in and of itself in addition to language functionality. The best strategies for adjusting to the new culture were to interact with fellow Japanese learners and also English learners as well. For It is among us language learners that we are the most understand of the difficulties of learning another language. We can relate to each others struggles without being to critical of one another. The many language-learning friends I made during my time in Japan served as a buffer for integrating myself into Japanese culture and society. By the end of the experience, I felt as if I finally developed a good "read" on how to function within Japanese society despite my meager language capabilities.
Through my experience studying abroad in Japan I have become able to recognized a number of social problems within both the United States and Japan (see first attachment). Through CSUMB's service learning program and required class (JAPN 301S), I have also further understood what social problems are present within U.S. and Japanese society and what measures have been and can be taken to address problems such as social injustice, discrimination, privilege and entitlement, as well as others, through education, activism, and awareness (see last attachment).
5.1. Students demonstrate that they have actively immersed themselves in authentic Japanese cultural and linguistic environments and have internalized the language and cultural experience, from which they have developed a personal understanding and new perspectives of the community.
Note: Students develop intercultural communication skills and strategies, and learn to adapt and respond in effective ways. This MLO may be fulfilled by a study abroad experience or equivalent. There is no required course for this MLO. Courses taken during study abroad may be counted toward another MLO. Students can also participate in additional service learning experiences to fulfill this requirement.
How I Completed MLO 5:
My experience studying abroad in Japan was one of the best experiences I have had in my life so far. I learned a lot, made a number of friends from allover the world, lived more healthily, and above all greatly improved my Japanese language capabilities. Upon arrival, my goals in Japan were to of course improve my spoken and written Japanese, my Japanese comprehension, and my general communicative abilities. Through talking with Japanese friends, attending club meetings, messaging in Japanese online, and a variety of other communication experiences, my communicative abilities in Japanese have greatly improved. I also looked forward to traveling and taking photos (see Photos and Music page), which I was able to do with the great number of friends who I met in Japan.
Having great interest in nature, hiking, and photography, I was able to take part in a number of excursions, both in urban and rural areas, to explore the Japanese countryside and city environments. I took thousands of pictures along my journeys and posted them on my personal blog. During my time in Japan I also had the privilege to meet a number of musically and artistically talented individuals, a number of who I was granted to opportunity to play with. One of the other goals I had during my time in Japan was to carry on my music production hobby. I successfully composed two pieces of music during my time in Japan (see Photos and Music page).
I had numerous aspirations for my time in Japan but unfortunately there were some that I did not get the chance to achieve. Most of my travels were limited to the Kanto region of Japan, in and around Tokyo. I wanted to explore the Kansai region, including Kyoto, Nara, etc., however, the opportunity never presented itself to me. I also wanted to travel to Yakushima Island; the island is said to be where the animated scenery from the movie Mononoke Hime (Princess Mononoke) was conceptualized form. Yakushima Island also has the some of the oldest, if not the oldest, trees in Japan with the most remarkable being named Jomon Sugi. The tree is in the very middle of the circular island and is supposed to take in excess of eight hours to reach by hiking. This is one excursion which I had to save until the next time I visit Japan.
As for adjusting to the Japanese culture and environment, there were some adjustments which had to be made. From the time I arrived at the Chuo University International Dormitory, I immediately realized it was uncomfortably hot and there were an inordinate number of mosquitoes latching onto my legs. At one point I had been stung so many times on one leg that my foot had swelled to where I could barely fit my shoe on. I soon learned to wear long pants and mosquito repellant; they also sell cooling dab-on ointment which was a life saver for me. The second thing I noticed was that, at least in Tokyo, everyone stands on one side of the escalators to let those in a hurry walk past. This is different to the situation in America where people stand right in the center without a care in the world. Also about the environment, an umbrella is absolutely necessary depending on the season and a warm jacket is also necessary during winter.
There were a number of other subtle adjustments which had to be made for instance, it seems that people speak in softer voice in Japan, especially on public transportation. Subtleties in gesture and body language also had to be taken note of. The intricacies of subtle communication were particularly difficult to observe. The social atmosphere in Japan is something which I was not used to. It is hard to think of specific examples however, it shall be noted that the "air" in Japan with regards to social acceptability in communication, can be thick, ambiguous, and hard to "read".
Existing in the Japanese environment, both social and physical, was a learning experience in and of itself in addition to language functionality. The best strategies for adjusting to the new culture were to interact with fellow Japanese learners and also English learners as well. For It is among us language learners that we are the most understand of the difficulties of learning another language. We can relate to each others struggles without being to critical of one another. The many language-learning friends I made during my time in Japan served as a buffer for integrating myself into Japanese culture and society. By the end of the experience, I felt as if I finally developed a good "read" on how to function within Japanese society despite my meager language capabilities.
Through my experience studying abroad in Japan I have become able to recognized a number of social problems within both the United States and Japan (see first attachment). Through CSUMB's service learning program and required class (JAPN 301S), I have also further understood what social problems are present within U.S. and Japanese society and what measures have been and can be taken to address problems such as social injustice, discrimination, privilege and entitlement, as well as others, through education, activism, and awareness (see last attachment).
suicide_in_japan-1.doc | |
File Size: | 31 kb |
File Type: | doc |
301sfinalpresentation.doc | |
File Size: | 56 kb |
File Type: | doc |